Vacuum-tunnel boat construction.



APPLICATION FILED DEC. 14, I915.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1 A TTOR/VEYS TERS ca. Pnomurmz. \VASMI C. H-. FOWLER.

VACUUM TUNNEL BOAT CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION HLED DEC. 14. 1915.

1,196,849. PatentdSept. 5,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTUR ATTORNEYS 1m: mmms r512: 00.. PNOTD-L/THQ. WASMINBTDN. n. c.

I. ETED VACUUM-TUNNEL BOAT CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Application filed December 14, 1915. Serial No. 66,708.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL H. FOWLER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum-Tunnel Boat Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to boats of the type in which a propeller wheel is supported within a chamber or tunnel in the body of the boat, so that the boat may navigate through shallow water. Boats of this characterhave previously been proposed, as shown for example, in United States Patent No. 1,132,923, for shallow water boat, granted to me March 23rd, 1915. In that patent there is shown a vacuum chamber or standpipe superimposed above the propeller chamber or tunnel and connected therewith, means being provided for automatically regulating the vacuum pump and the consequent height of the water in the vacuum chamber'under operating conditions. These devices insure the occasional operation of the vacuum pump whenever the water level in the vacuum chamber falls below a predetermined height.

My present invention comprises an improvement over that shown in my said patent and my other prior applications, and over previously known constructions, my present improvements increasing the efliciency and reliability, while simplifying and cheapening the construction of such boats.

Briefly, my invention provides for a new and simple arrangement in a fiat bottom boat having a tunnel or propeller chamber in the bottom thereof, open at the bottom, and having a propeller operating in the tunnel or propeller chamber, and having a standpipe or vacuum chamber superimposed over the propeller chamber and connected with it. I connect the circulating water system of the engine with the vacuum chamber so as to provide for a continuous circulation of water, during the operation of the boat, from the propeller chamber, and thence through the vacuum chamber to the water jacket or condenser of the engine. By this means the necessity for a separate vacuum pump, which otherwise must be operated either continuously or at recurring intervals during the operation of the boat, is obviated. At the same time the vacuum chamber is kept continuously filled with water, without the use or consumption of any additional power, for

when the propeller chamber and vacuum chamber are once filled with water, there is a balanced water pressure as in a siphon. Accordingly the propeller chamber is filled at all times with a solid body of water, as all air bubbles and leakage of air into the vacuum chamber are immediately removed. The propeller thus always has water of a character incident to a depth equal to the total height of the standpipe or vacuum chamber. The necessityfor automatic regulation of the water level in the vacuum chamber, or of constantly watching the same if no automatic regulation is provided, is done away with and a simplified and automatic system substituted.

Another simple method of accomplishing the same result is to connect the top of the standpipe or vacuum chamber with an ejector which is so placed in the pipes leading from the engine that the escaping water or gases or steam are used tocreate a partial vacuum or sufiiciently strong suction to keep the vacuum chamber full of water at all times.

Under certain conditions it is desirable to combine with either one of these improved methods the use of a vacuum pump which is to be operated temporarily to quickly fill the tunnel and vacuum chamber, as the capacity of the pump of the cooling system or water jacket of the engine is usually very limited. When the air has been suflioiently withdrawn from the vacuum chamber and the water therein has risen to such a point as to flow through the pump connections, the pipe connections are changed so that the circulating water for the water jacket at the engine willthereafter be drawn through the vacuum chamber by the pump provided for maintaining the circulation of water through the water jacket, and the separate vacuum pump is then shut off.

The object of my invention is to provide devices of the character referred to so as to increase the efliciency and to simplify the construction of shallow water boats.

In order that a clearer understanding of my invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, and illustrating certain embodiments of my invention.

' Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section through a boat equipped with my invention in its simplest form, where the water is drawn directly from the vacuum chamber and through the water jacket or cooling system of the engine by the pump of the water jacket system itself, Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the same, Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical transverse sections on lines 33 and 44 respectively of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 represents a top plan view of a boat equipped with a modification of this invention whereby the vacuum is maintained by means of an ejector without passing the water from the vacuum chamber through the water jacket of the engine, Fig. 6 represents a verticallongitudinal section on line 66 of Fig. 7, and Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a boat, illustrating a further embodiment of my invention, in which a separate vacuum pump is installed as an auxiliary device to obtain a vacuum, after which the auxiliary pump is shut off and the circulation of water maintained through the water jacket of the engine.

Referring to the drawings, the boat may be of any suitable construction and as illustrated represents a light draftboat l adapted to be propelled through rivers, canals or any shallow water. The bottom of the boat 2 which in the construction illustrated is substantially fiat, is provided with a pro peller chamber or tunnel 3 formed by raising the bottom of the boat with the forward wall 4 and a rear wall 5. The forward wall 5 slopes upwardly and rearwardly at a gradual angle, so as togive easy access to the water approaching the propeller 6, which is mounted within the propeller chamber upon a propeller shaft 7, which shaft extends through a suitable opening in the forward wall 4 ofthe chamber. The rear wall 5 of the'chamber preferably slopes as to its top or roof portion at a very gradual angle from the horizontal to the point 8, at which the propeller chamber or tunnel is given a rear opening or orifice through the stern of the boat. The top of this opening in the stern is above the keel line but under the minimum water line of the boat; or the rear end of the tunnel may be brought to the keel line of the boat, thus making practicable the placing of the entire tunnel or upper equipment as much farther forward in the boat as may be desired. The vacuum chamber or standpipe 9 is superimposed above the propeller chamber 3 and connected therewith at the highest point of the propeller chamber. This standpipe may be of any suitable height, through which water may effectively be drawn by a vacuum or suction pump, a height of l to 4 ft. being suitable through outlet 14. In small boats the suction of pump 12, which constitutes a part of the water cooling system of the engine is sufficient to maintain this vacuum, without the use of other pump or apparatus. This arrangement is shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

A separate arrangement is shown in Fig. 5, .where sometimes it is desirable to have an independent water supply and discharge for the water jacket or cooling system of the engine. In this arrangement water is taken in at the intake shown at 13, passed through the water jacket 11, and through the outlet 14. In the outlet pipe, however, there is placed an ejector illustrated at 19 by which a suction is created across the end of pipe 15 which leads from the top of the standpipe or vacuum chamber 9 to the outlet pipe. The action of this ejector is to create a strong suction producing a vacuum in pipe 15 and the chambers connected with it, namely, the vacuum chamber and the tunnel. A valve 20 is shown in pipe 15 for shutting the same off when desired. This ejector may be operated through the use of any fluid medium, as water, steam or gas, according as may be most convenient in the structure of the engine. The exhaust gases from the engine can be used in this way if desired as it requires but a small amount of power to thus maintain the vacuum.

Another arrangement is shown in Figs. 6 and -7 by which a small vacuum pump 17 is added to the system. This pump, connected by a T to pipe 15, extending from the standpipe 9, may be operated temporarily either by hand or by power from the engine so as to create a suflicient vacuum to fill the propeller chamber 3, vacuum cham her 9 and connecting pipe 15, to the T connection, when a complete circuit of water is made through pump 17, with discharge at pump-outlet 18. A three-way valve 16 is provided between the connection of pump 17 and jacket 11, this closing the connection to the jacket while pump 17 is operating. When a circuit through the vacuum chamber and pump 17 has been effected, as stated, the valve 16 is moved so as to cut out pump 17 and connect the pipe 15 directly with water jacket 11, and thereafter establish a direct circulation through the water jacket and outlet 14. The three-way valve 16 is so arranged that an independent supply of water for the water jacket may be drawn by the engine pump 12 through inlet 13, the water jacket and outlet 14, while vacuum pump 17 is initially obtaining a flow of water through the standpipe 9 and connecting pipes 15. After the circulation of water is once established from the standpipe through connecting pipe 15 to the Water jacket 11, the connections of pipe 15 to inlet 13, and pump 17, are closed, by valve 16, since thereafter circulation may be maintained without the use of pump 17 or any additional power, as a continuous flow of Water keeps the chamber 9 full at all times, and pump 17 may accordingly be stopped. When the chamber 9 has once been filled with water, this chamber and the pipes con- 'necting with it form in effect a siphon,

which enables the small pump 12 of the water jacket to easily do the work of causing a continuous flow up through the vacuum chamber and down through the connecting pipe 15.

It is to be noted that my invention is not limited to the specific forms of devices illustrated herein but that the same is as broad as is indicated by the appended claims. The engine 10 may be of any character in which power is created and any circulating medium is used, as a gas engine with circulating cooling water, or steam engine, in which circulating water is usedin the condensers, or in place of engine 10 there may be substantially any other device which is used in the operation of a boat in which the circulation of water through a conduit is utilized.

Having now particularly described my invention what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In a boat, the combination of a hull having a propeller chamber therein open at the bottom, a superposed chamber connected to the upper portion of said propeller chamber, a propeller within said propeller chamber, an engine having a water jacket, and means for drawing water from said propeller chamber through said superposed chamber and thence through said water jacket in continuous circulation, substantially as set forth.

2. In a boat the combination of a hull having a propeller chamber therein open at the bottom and extending above the waterline of the boat, an engine having a water jacket, and means for drawing water from the highest point of said chamber continuously and circulating the same through said water jacket, whereby the portion of said chamber extending above the water-line of the boat is kept constantly filled with water, substantially as set forth.

3. In a boat, the combination of a hull having a propeller chamber therein open at the bottom, a superposed chamber connected to the upper portion of said propeller chamber, a propeller within said propeller chamber, an engine having a water jacket, means for exhausting air from said superposed chamber and drawing water into the same through said propeller chamber, a pump for circulating water through said water jacket, and connections whereby water for said jacket may be drawn from the upper part of said superposed chamber by said pump, after Water has been drawn into said chamber by said means, substantially as set forth.

4. In a boat, the combination of hull having a propeller chamber therein open at the bottom, a superposed chamber connected to the upper portion of said propeller chamber, a propeller within said propeller chamber, an engine having a water jacket, a pipe connection from the upper part of said superposed chamber to said water jacket, a bypass in said connection, inlet and outlet water pipes connected to said jacket, and means for drawing water through said superposed chamber and thence though said by-pass or said jacket, and for drawing water though said inlet pipe andthough said jacket when water from said chamber is not being drawn through said jacket, substantially as set forth.

5. In a boat, the combination of a hull having a propeller chamber therein open at the bottom and extending upwardly above the water-line of the boat, a propellertherein and connections for rotating the same, an ele vated chamber connected to the upper portion ofsaid propeller chamber, a pipe connection to the upper part of said elevated chamber, forming a siphon therewith, and means for filling said chambers with water up to, the level of said pipe connection, and for causing water to circulate continuously thereafter through said chambers and pipe connection, during the rotation of said propeller, substantially as set forth.

6. In a boat, the combination of a hull having a propeller chamber therein open at the bottom and extending upwardly above the Water-line of the boat, a propeller therein and connections for rotating the same, an elevated chamber connected to the upper portion of said propeller chamber, a pipe connection to the upper part of said elevated chamber, a device in the boat comprising a conduit through which cooling water is passed, having an outlet, and means whereby water may be drawn through said chambers and pipe connection into said conduit and out through its outlet, substantially as set forth.

7 In a boat, the combination of a hull having a propeller chamber open at the bottom, an elevated chamber connected to the upper portion of said propeller chamber, an engine having a cooling system, including an outlet pipe, pipe connections between the upper part of said elevated chamber and said cooling system, and means for continuously drawing water through said cooling system, and through said chambers, and out through said outlet pipe, substantially as set forth.

8. In a boat, the combination of a hull having a propeller chamber open at the bot tom, an elevated chamber connected to the upper portion of said propeller chamber, an engine having a cooling system, including an outlet pipe, pipe connections between the upper part of said elevated chamber and said cooling system, a by-pass in said connections leading to a separate outlet, a valve between said bypass and said cooling system, an inlet pipe connected to said cooling system, means for drawing Water through said cooling system, through said inlet pipe or through said pipe connections from said chambers, in accordance With the position of said valve, and a pumping means for drawing air and Water from said chambers through said by-pass, When said valve is set to prevent Water from said chambers pass ing into said cooling system, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 27th day of November, 1915.

CARL H. FOWLER. Witnesses:

DYER SMITH, I. MoINTosI-I.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

